


The Confrontation

by Kyuubiluver342



Series: The Many Times Seto Kaiba Was In Debt To Joey Wheeler [29]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! - All Media Types, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Blood and Violence, Child Abuse, He's Been Through Some Shit, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Joey Just Needs A Hug, Kidnapping, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-09
Updated: 2020-01-09
Packaged: 2021-02-20 08:34:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22181095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Seto and Mokuba get taken by the last person anyone expects.
Relationships: Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler/Kaiba Seto
Series: The Many Times Seto Kaiba Was In Debt To Joey Wheeler [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1186781
Comments: 6
Kudos: 99





	The Confrontation

Seto hit the ground and let out a groan, trying to force himself to roll over, even with his hands bound behind him. A yelp made him look over and see Mokuba laying next to him. The doors slammed closed and Seto shuddered as the van drove off. Mokuba whimpered next to him and Seto let out a soothing, little sound.

“It’s ok, Mokuba. We’ll be ok.” Seto whispered.

Mokuba just nodded at him, eyes wide. Being kidnapped was never fun. There was always an initial panic as they were taken, but slowly, Seto’s brain started to race. It would be a short amount of time before someone realized something was wrong. Seto and Mokuba made it clear that their security should always be wary of any sudden changes to their schedules. If Seto and Mokuba didn’t arrive to that meeting within 10 minutes, Roland knew to send out the troops.

Seto let out a slow breath and got himself under control. Step one, take note of where they were going. Something Seto had learned as a child was to memorize a map of the city. He knew without really thinking about it that they were heading for the docks. They were in a commercial moving van, something most people wouldn’t care about. There was nothing interesting or memorable about it.

Step two, this had been a planned attack. Whoever planned this knew the routes the drivers like to take and had made sure to grab the brothers quickly and get out of sight. So, this had to be a relatively big group. Seto counted the number of turns and stops they made, trying to make a plan to keep them alive until his team could get to them. The tracker in Seto’s jacket had been activated, they just needed to keep calm and stall if they could.

Seto just hoped they wouldn’t be long gone by then.

The van stopped and the doors were thrown open. Seto made sure not to struggle, despite the instinct to do just that. Mokuba was pulled out next and they were dropped to the floor of some dingy warehouse, next to the van. Seto noted there were a lot of people, at least 8 that he could see. More people meant more things to keep track of. Seto didn’t like their odds.

“This it? I was expecting more.” someone said.

A man stepped from the shadows and Seto was struck by the feeling he had seen this man before. Something about him was familiar. Dirty blonde hair and dark eyes felt like their belonged on another face, a younger face. The man pulled a cigarette from his mouth as he bent down, blowing the smoke into Seto’s face with a smirk. Seto’s eyes narrowed and he scowled.

“So, so? What do you think, Boss? How much do you think we can get for them?” one guy said, looking a little too eager for Seto’s liking.

So, it was about money. Seto could have rolled his eyes. The man turned to the other, scowling.

“Shut the fuck up, moron!” he roared and the other man flinched violently, shrinking under his glare.

“S-Sorry, Boss.” he whimpered and the man, Boss, scuffed loudly.

“Fucking coward.” he muttered as he got back up, moving the cigarette back to his lips as he walked away.

Seto noted there was a rather large pistol in his back pocket and swallowed. So, they were also packing. Great.

“What’s the plan, Boss?” another man asked.

Boss stopped and looked around.

“You dumb shits! I told you the plan already. We just need to make the call.” he replied.

“If you want money, KaibaCorp won’t pay it.” Seto said calmly.

The whole group slowly turned back to Seto. Boss paused for a minute more before glaring down at him.

“Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say to me?” Boss demanded.

“KaibaCorp has an anti-ransom policy. They won’t pay to get us back.” Seto explained.

It wasn’t completely true. There wasn’t actually a policy per say. The brothers were very important to the company, but they had learned over the years that most kidnappers wanted money and when they realized they weren’t going to get it, they often gave up. Boss stood there, looking like he was mulling over the words, before there was a gun pointed in Seto’s face. Seto swallowed, leaning back just a bit.

“Is that so? So if I blow your damn brains out and send your body to the office, they won’t pay to get your brother back?” Boss demanded, eyes wild behind his black sunglasses.

Seto glanced at Mokuba. He could see the terror in Mokuba’s eyes despite how hard Mokuba tried to hide it. He turned back to Boss and nodded.

“Correct. They are under strict orders.” Seto replied.

Boss clicked his tongue and then the gun moved and it was pointing at Mokuba.

“Ok, so they won’t pay for you, what about him?” Boss demanded.

Seto stared at the man.

“It’s the same for both of us. No matter which one you kill, you won’t get any money for the other. It’s best to just let us go.” Seto replied.

His heart was hammering in his chest. He hoped the man would be stupid enough to just let them go. Many times, that had worked, but he wasn’t so sure right now.

“Is that so? I don’t know if I trust you.” Boss stated as he pulled the gun back.

Seto stared him down and Boss just sneered.

“Well, I guess we need a second opinion, huh?” Boss demanded.

He turned to his group.

“Did you find that little shit yet?” he roared.

The group looked at each other nervously and he scowled.

“GET TO IT! I WANT HIM FOUND!” he yelled.

The group scrambled to do as they were told as the man walked over to a crate and sat down.

“And now? We wait.” Boss stated.

Seto and Mokuba glanced at each other. This didn’t look good.

A half hour later, there was some commotion. Boss looked up from where he was cleaning his gun and scowled.

“About damn time.” he snapped as he got up.

Two men walked into the warehouse. The first was some lackey, but the second was…

“Joey?” Mokuba whispered.

Joey walked into the room, hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes narrowed. He didn’t even glance their way.

“What’d ya want?” Joey demanded.

Boss slowly got to his feet and he towered over Joey, gun held in his hand.

“Now, is that anyway to greet your old man, boy?” Boss growled.

It suddenly clicked just then where Seto had seen this man before. This was Joey’s father, the man Joey had been looking for. The one Seto had looked into once to see what kind of family Joey came from. His rapsheet was a mile long, but Seto had never considered he would be stupid enough to add kidnapping to it. Seto swallowed hard.

“That’s Joey’s dad?” Mokuba whispered.

Joey’s eyes darted to them and then he froze. He seemed to stare before his eyes turned murderous.

“What the fuck is this? Are you fucking insane?” Joey demanded.

“Watch yourself, boy.” Boss replied.

“ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE?!” Joey yelled.

He got in his father’s face, one hand coming out to point at the brothers.

“Do you have any idea what the fuck you’ve done! You’re ruining everything!” Joey snapped.

Boss scowled and the gun was suddenly pressed under Joey’s throat. Mokuba let out a cry of shock and even Seto felt his stomach twist. Joey’s hand dropped and he glanced at the gun before staring back at his father’s face.

“Yell at me… one more time, boy and I will blow your brains out. Do you hear me?” Boss whispered coldly.

Joey’s eyes narrowed before he glanced at the brothers again and he took a step back. Boss sneered.

“Good dog.” he said coldly and Seto swallowed.

“I’m not your dog.” Joey replied as he crossed his arms.

Boss scuffed and shoved his gun into his pants. He walked over to stand before the brothers and looked them over.

“So, your little friends here told me something interesting, boy. That their company doesn’t pay ransoms. That true?” Boss demanded.

Joey eyed Seto for a moment and then nodded.

“As far as I ever knew, yeah.” Joey replied.

Boss didn’t seem to like that answer. His face twisted into something evil and Seto tried really hard not to let that affect his mental state.

“That so, huh? Their own company won’t pay to get them back.” Boss sneered.

“Best to let them go then. You don’t need more trouble on your hands. Heaven knows your probation officer has enough on his plate with you.” Joey said calmly.

Boss turned to him and snarled.

“Shut the fuck up! Don’t think this changes anything! If their company won’t pay for them, I know plenty of people who will!” Boss snapped.

Suddenly, he didn’t look so angry anymore. He bent over and grabbed Seto’s face, turning it this way and that way. Like he was appraising Seto.

“Yeah, a pretty boy like you? I know plenty of people who would pay big money to have a go at you. I’m sure you have some competitors that would kill to have the chance to put you in your place.” Boss leered and Seto pulled back, disgusted.

Boss turned his attention to Mokuba and chuckled.

“Hell, your brother alone? I could get an easy million for him. There are plenty of sick fucks in this world who would get a kick out of him.” Boss said.

Mokuba whimpered and Seto snarled.

“Over my dead body.” Seto replied.

Boss scuffed.

“That can be arranged too. Organs are just as valuable.” Boss said.

Joey scuffed loudly and Boss slowly looked at him.

“Something funny?” Boss hissed.

“You’re dumber than a post, that’s what. You honestly think you’ll get away with any of that shit? These two have more people at their beck and call than you could ever hope to have. The fact that you don’t know that shows you haven’t learned shit.” Joey said coldly.

Boss got up and stared Joey down.

“Like you?” Boss demanded.

“Like me.” Joey replied.

Boss walked over and Seto saw him pull the knife. Where he was hiding that, Seto had no idea, but he took a swipe at Joey and sliced open his cheek. Joey hissed and jerked back. Boss grabbed him by his jacket and shoved him against the wall, knife at his throat.

“Joey!” Mokuba cried.

“SHUT UP!” Boss roared as he glanced at them before turning back to Joey.

“You think you’re hot shit because you’re some big duelist now huh? You think you have a right to talk to me like that? Well, guess what, you little shit? I could give a crap less. You will always be the weak, pathetic dog from before.” Boss snickered and pressed the blade closer.

“If I kill you right here, no one will care. No one is going to miss you. You’re so called friends? They won’t even care you’re gone. You’re just a joke and you always will be.” Boss said.

Joey glared at him, eyes dark, but said nothing.

“But, if you really think you’re hot shit, try and go against me.” Boss said pulling back.

He still held the blade, but Joey was now standing on his own to feet. He stared his father down, confusion on his face.

“Because you know what will happen when you do? Serenity is going to be the one paying for it.” Boss sneered.

Joey paled so fast that Seto was concerned.

“What?” Joey muttered.

Boss threw back his head and laughed.

“What? You think I didn’t know about her? You dumb mutt, I knew the minute she moved out of your whore of a mother’s house. I know where she lives, where she goes to school, hell, I even know what cafe she likes to go to on her way home from classes. All I have to do is send the address to a few of my… friends and they’ll take care of my problem for me.” Boss leered and Joey’s face went red.

“You wouldn’t fucking dare! Your own daughter!” Joey roared.

Boss chuckled, pointing the knife his way.

“It’s up to you, boy. Your friends or Serenity? She’s grown up to be a real fine looking lady.” Boss said, licking his lips.

Seto actually felt sick to his stomach. He couldn’t imagine someone so hateful and disgusting. Joey was shaking, Seto could see the rage in his eyes before Joey’s shoulders slumped. Boss saw it too and grinned.

“Good dog. Glad to know we are on the same page now.” Boss stated.

Joey just glared at him.

“Now, tell me the truth, will KaibaCorp pay to get these two back?” Boss demanded.

Joey glanced at Seto and he could see the conflict in his eyes before Joey nodded. Boss chuckled.

“I thought so.” Boss said.

Mokuba shivered against him and Seto wished he could at least hold him. Boss turned to them and sneered.

“It looks like your little lie just landed you two in a heap of trouble. I’m going to reach out to your company and they better pay or else.” Boss demanded.

Seto scowled. He had no doubt KaibaCorp would pay the ransom. He had to wonder where his fucking team was. Why weren’t they here already? He wished he could reach for the tracker, but he didn’t dare bring attention to himself.

“Now that that’s cleared up. Boy, you stay here and keep an eye on them. If they so much as move…” Bos trailed off, the threat clear.

Joey swallowed and then nodded. Boss chuckled and reached out, grabbing Joey’s shoulder and squeezing.

“Looks like you’re finally part of the family business, huh?” he said crackling.

Boss and the second man left, leaving Joey and the brothers alone. Joey stood there for a moment before moving closer to them. His cheek was still bleeding, but he didn’t seem concerned about it. Joey dropped to the floor and stared at them, eyes sad.

“I’m sorry.” he whispered and Seto looked down.

“It’s ok, Joey. It will be ok.” Mokuba whispered.

Joey shook his head.

“They took my phone. Broke it. I can’t call for help.” Joey explained.

Seto let out a long sigh.

“There is a tracker in my jacket. My team should be here soon.” Seto replied.

Joey just shook his head.

“There’s a signal blocker. The guy I was with told me how they stole it last week. They figured there was something to keep track of you both.” Joey replied.

Seto swallowed. This explained a lot. Mokuba let out a sound.

“What are we going to do?” Mokuba whispered, terrified.

Joey stared at them and then looked around.

“I need you two to trust me.” Joey said quickly.

Seto and Mokuba looked at him.

“I trust you.” Seto replied quickly.

Joey blinked, a bit startled before he nodded.

“Where’s the tracker?” Joey asked.

Seto’s eyes darted to his left side and Joey moved closer.

“It’s the button on the edge of my jacket.” Seto said quietly.

Joey pulled it off and slipped it into his sleeve before looking at Seto and Mokuba.

“I’ll get you two out, I promise.” Joey said and the two could only nod.

About an hour later, two of Boss’ goons came back, nervously one approached Joey, gun in hand. Joey watched him with dark eyes before he was dragged to his feet.

“Boss wants to see you.” he said nervously and Joey scuffed.

“Lead the way then.” Joey replied.

The two left, leaving the brother with the other goon, who just stood against the wall, staring blankly at the ceiling. Mokuba moved closer to Seto.

“Is he going to be ok?” Mokuba asked.

Seto honestly had no idea and so he said nothing.

When Joey came back, his face was a mess, his clothes torn and he was limping. He walked over to the wall and hissed as his back hit the wall as he slid down.

“Joey?” Mokuba called.

Joey shook his head, eyeing the other guard until he finally left.

“What happened?” Seto asked.

“Turns out your company isn’t willing to pay.” Joey stated.

Seto felt ice go through him.

“What? No!” Mokuba said with horror.

“He’s furious. I don’t think I’ve seen him so mad.” Joey said quietly.

Seto was starting to wonder what would happen to them now.

“But, it worked.” Joey held out the tracker and Seto stared.

“I was out of the range of the signal blocker. It stops right outside the warehouse.” Joey whispered.

Seto nodded, but even still, it would take time for his team to get there. They sat in silence, time ticking away. God, Seto could practically hear the time ticking down in his head. They looked up when they heard a commotion outside and Boss came storming back in, one of his lackeys following.

“Boss, we need to go!” he pleaded.

“Shut the fuck up! I am not leaving without my cash grab, you hear me!” he roared, gun pressed against the other man’s chest.

The lackey quickly bolted, not caring enough to stay. Boss glared at him as they heard sirens get closer.

“Looks like your gang ran for the hills.” Joey said calmly.

Boss turned to him and his face was red.

“You did this, didn’t you?” Boss hissed.

Joey snorted and leaned back against the wall.

“As if that’s even a question. Of course I did.” Joey said boredly.

Boss stormed over to him and Joey got up. The gun was pressed under Joey’s chin again, but Joey didn’t seem to care.

“You’ve ruined everything!” Boss hissed.

“Me? I’ve ruined everything? I’m the one cleaning up your mess, like always!” Joey snapped back.

“You stupid dog! We could be living the high life! We could finally get out of this shithole!” Boss replied.

“High life? Are you fucking joking! Even if you got the money, you’d waste it on drugs and women, just like every time before!” Joey mocked.

The gun was pressed even tighter under Joey’s chin.

“You fucking little shit.” Boss hissed.

The sirens were getting louder and louder. Seto hoped they would get here before anything bad happened. Joey glanced at the doorway and sneered.

“They’re coming for you. Your big plan? Going right down the toilet and I bet they won’t let you off with a slap on the wrist this time. Kidnapping is a big deal and the Kaiba brothers have a lot of pull in this town. You are going away for life.” Joey whispered coldly.

Boss turned his head and Joey used that moment to grab for the gun. The gun went off and Mokuba screamed, but Seto didn’t see any blood, so he assumed it missed them both. Joey shoved the man back and ripped the gun from his hands, sending him to the floor. Boss looked up to see his own pistol staring him in the face. For the first time, his tough guy act dropped and he actually looked scared.

“C-Come on now. Put that thing down. You wouldn’t actually shoot your father, would you?” Boss crawled backwards until he hit the van and then he had nowhere to go.

“Father?” Joey whispered.

Seto stared, Joey’s face was blank, empty, like a doll’s. He moved forward until he was standing over Boss, gun in hand. Like a man possessed, he just stood there, staring down.

“You really want to sit there… and call yourself my father?” Joey demanded.

His voice was harsh, biting and Seto swallowed. The fury he saw in Joey before was there again, like a tsunami.

“Joey?” Mokuba called, but Joey didn’t even look at them.

“You were never my father, never even tried to be. For years, I put up with your shit. For years, I tried to help you and what did you do?” Joey demanded.

Seto could hear the rising rage in Joey’s voice. For the first time, he started to struggle with the ropes around his hands. He could feel the knot loosening.

“Come on now, just put the gun down. We can work this out, me and you. I’ll be a better father, I promise.” Boss held up his hands.

The second shot went off, making the brothers jump, and Boss howled, grabbing his knee with his hands.

“A father protects their family. A father protects their son. A father doesn’t let his friends beat his son so bad he can’t even move, left to wake up in a pool of his own blood, left to drag himself out of the apartment to find help.” Joey hissed.

Seto’s eyes got wide. The next shot hit the other knee and Boss screamed, throwing his head back. Seto struggled even more. He could see that Joey was too far gone to stop. Too far gone to even consider stopping now.

“A father works hard to keep a roof over his son’s head. To give him a safe place to sleep. A father doesn’t throw him out to the wolves, leaving him to sleep in alleyways and park benches. Doesn’t let his son beg strangers for a warm bed at the cost of his own body.” Joey continued.

Mokuba hiccuped, tears rolling down his cheeks. Seto got the knot undone and started to stand up. Joey took a step closer, literally standing over Boss, not caring about the blood pouring from the two wounds. The next shot took out Boss’ shoulder and all he could do was whimper.

“A father makes sure that his son has food in his stomach. Works hard so that his son can eat. A father doesn’t force his son to eat out of the garbage like some sort of animal. Doesn’t let his son starve to the point of almost dying while he stuffs himself on whatever food he can get his hands on.” Joey hissed.

Seto stumbled to his feet, his legs numb after so long on the cold ground. The next shot took out the other shoulder and Boss didn’t even cry out anymore.

“A father cares about his son and tries to teach him how to be a good man. Tries to show him the right path. A father doesn’t dump the blame on his son for all his schemes and get rich quick plans that go south. Doesn’t let his son take the blame for his fucking actions!” Joey roared.

Seto moved over and saw the gun move to Boss’ forehead. Seto felt ice go through his veins as he watched as Joey’s finger tightened on the trigger.

“My father? You were never my fucking father. A father cares and loves and protects his son! You didn’t give a damn about me unless you could steal from me! Or use me! All you ever did was take and take and take! No matter how much I gave, you still demanded more! I GAVE YOU EVERYTHING AND IT WAS NEVER ENOUGH.” Joey screamed.

Seto was too far away, he wasn’t going to be able to stop him in time.

“Joey!” Seto yelled.

The gun clicked and there was nothing. Nothing happened and Seto felt a wave of relief go through him. Joey hiccuped and pulled the trigger again, but still, nothing happened. Seto moved to Joey’s side and grabbed his wrist as he pulled the trigger a third time and nothing happened.

“I-It’s empty.” Joey whispered.

The tears slipped down his cheeks until they were rolling hot and heavy down his face. He looked so completely crushed. Seto forced him to lower the gun before pulling it from his hand. He threw the gun to the corner of the room, where it disappeared into the shadows. Joey stood there, staring down at the whimpering man, leaning slightly against Seto’s own body. Seto took the jacket from his shoulders and wrapped it around Joey’s, pulling him away as the sirens finally got close enough where they sounded like they were right outside the door.

“Come on. Let’s go.” Seto muttered.

He looked up to see Mokuba moving towards them, his own rope still tied to one wrist. Joey leaned against Seto, eyes blank.

“I wanted him dead. I just wanted it to stop.” Joey muttered as Mokuba moved to his other side and helped Seto lead him away from where Boss was sitting, whimpering in pain.

“I know. I know.” Seto replied.

They moved towards the entrance to the warehouse and found the place surrounded by police and Kaiba’s security. All three held up their hands as the officers moved in and pulled them away from the warehouse while other officers flooded the warehouse. Roland came over and immediately Seto handed Mokuba off to him, but Joey, he kept close. He moved over to where an ambulance was and only then did he let Joey go, handing him over to the EMTs to look over.

“Mr. Kaiba.” an officer came over and after that it was a blur of motion and sounds that Seto could barely keep track of.

He told them what happened, what he saw and who was in the warehouse. He vaguely heard someone call for another ambulance as the officers started to trickle out of the warehouse. He wondered, idly, if Boss would ever be able to walk again. He certainly hoped not. When he was finished giving his statement, he was led away by Roland.

At one point, he was placed in the same car as Mokuba as the EMTs rushed into the warehouse with a stretcher. The ambulance holding Joey raced off, Seto vaguely heard something about a concussion and Seto just let out a breath. He rubbed Mokuba’s shoulder as they sat there. It felt like hours before they were finally allowed to head to the police station. There, they took their clothes for evidence, photographed any bruises or marks and took a more detailed statement from both.

Seto was exhausted when they were done and cold. The thin jumpsuit they gave them to wear did nothing to contain body heat. He wanted to leave, he wanted a hot shower and a warm bed, but he refused to leave until he heard about Joey or his father. When the officer came in to let them leave, Seto coughed.

“And Mr. Wheeler? I mean, Joey Wheeler.” Seto asked.

“Mr. Wheeler is at the hospital still. He’s in stable condition. We have already taken his statement.” the man replied.

Seto nodded and with that, was allowed to leave. Going home after such a long day felt like the biggest relief. Mokuba and Seto held each other as they walked up the staircase to the second floor.

“What do we do now?” Mokuba whispered when they got to the top.

Seto swallowed and rubbed his eyes. He had no idea.   
  



End file.
